Turning, I step forward, getting in her face. “What the fuck do you want?”
She smiles wide. I’d love to wipe it from her smug, grimy face. “Now that you’ve asked, I want twenty grand.”
My eyes widen in shock and I splutter, stepping backwards. “I-I don’t have that kind of money.”
“You’re fucking sick,” Mason growls, the first time he’s shown any sort of sign that he knows she’s here. He’s been frozen since she walked in.
“Thank you.” She smiles at him before looking at me. “And you do have the money. I’ve been watching you a long time, so don’t lie to me, son. You have properties you could sell.”
Hiding my shock at her knowledge, I blank my expression. “I have a mortgage, not fucking money. I don’t know what you expected, but we don’t have that kind of money lying around. You’ve come to the wrong person if that’s what you’re after. And just so we’re clear, I’m not your fucking son.”
Her eyes flash for a second with annoyance and anger. Something tells me it’s not from me telling her I’m not her son, but more to do with the fact that I said I don’t have the money.
“You’ll find it if you want your sister kept alive and safe. I’m sure she’ll be sold pretty quickly. It’s a shame your daddy isn’t alive. He would’ve loved her.” She grins wickedly.
The image of the little girl on the tapes flashes in my mind and I growl, my fists clenching. “Careful. You wouldn’t want to end up how he did, now would you.”
Her eyes flash in surprise before she grins. “So the rumours are true. You killed your dad.” When I don’t say anything, she just stands there, shaking her head. “Looks like we’re at a standstill.”
I give Mason a look and he closes his eyes, seeming to be in thought. When he opens them, they’re cold, trained on Maralynn. “We can round up eight grand at the most.”
“I owe twenty,” she yells, then realises what she’s just let out, her face full of shock and surprise.
I smirk, clicking my tongue. “So you need us to bail you out,” I state. “That’s all we’ve got, so take it or leave it. It’s not our fault you owe some scumbag money.”
“I’ll just sell Lily,” she says, playing it off. Something tells me that it’s the last thing she wants to do. Not because she cares for the little girl in the picture, but most likely because she can’t get the money she wants.
“You got to play that card once, and let it pass, but if you threaten her or another kid again, whether she’s our sister or not, I’ll fucking kill you myself,” Malik grits out, his whole body trembling.
She eyes Malik in distaste. “You were always the angry one. No wonder you were chosen to be beaten.” She giggles. His fists clench. “But I’ll threaten her all I like. Until she’s sold, she belongs to me. Plus, I could always sell your baby. You boys have good genes.”
Malik steps forward, but this time I have time to grab him.
Just as I do, the place is swarmed with police officers. I notice Barrett in the mist, standing at the door issuing orders. There’s yelling to get down onto the floor and my eyes widen in horror, not for my mum being arrested, but for the little girl in the picture. We’ll never find her if she’s locked up.
“No!” I yell, and step forward, my eyes colliding with Maralynn’s. Her eyes are dilated in a cold, menacing look, and I know there’s going to be retribution.
“You’re going to regret this, you stupid fucking boy,” she yells as a police officer handcuffs her arms behind her back.
“Tell me where she is,” I rush out, stepping forward.
She laughs at me before spitting in my face. The officer pulls her roughly, warning her to behave. Lifting the bottom of my shirt, I wipe the spit away, inwardly gagging. “You think you’ll have her now? She’ll die without me. You’ll never find her.”
“Tell me where the fuck she is,” I roar, and Mason steps next to me.
“We’ll find her,” he says, giving our mum a cold look.
“No, you won’t,” she taunts before being pulled away.
Evan steps into the room and I rush over, pulling him out of earshot of the other officers. “You need to do something. Stop them!”
“What?” he asks, eyeing me like I’m on drugs.
“She’s saying we have a sister out there, and she threatened to sell her.”
“She could be lying to get what she wants,” he tells me, seeming unsure with his answer.
I know how it sounds, and yeah, she could be lying, but the sharp pain in my chest and a gut feeling are telling me otherwise.
I shake my head. “She showed me a picture. She wanted us to give her money in exchange for her. She was blackmailing us because she owes someone money, Evan. The little girl is clearly not with them, so she’s left her somewhere alone. We’ve been searching a week for Lynn with no luck. If we couldn’t find her, what makes you think we’re going to have a chance at finding a kid? She’ll starve to fucking death and with our mum, who even knows when she was last fed.”
His eyebrows scrunch together but his face hardens, finally taking what I’m saying seriously. “I can’t stop the arrest. Your mum is a wanted person. I’ll see if Barrett will let me in on the questioning. I’ll get her to talk,” he tells me, but I feel helpless.
“We need to find her now,” I growl.
“Just let them do their job,” Mason says, giving me a look. Reluctantly I nod, running my hands through my hair as a ruckus by the door grabs my attention. Denny, Harlow, Lake and Kayla come rushing into the room, all with panicked expressions.
“Oh my God, what happened?” Denny gasps, moving over to Mason and hugging him.
“Harlow, you can’t be here,” Malik says, panic written across his face.
“Why?” she asks, but I tune them out when Teagan comes running into the room. She glances around the room before coming to me, tears falling down her cheeks.
Fuck! How I landed someone like her, I’ll never know. I don’t deserve her, but I’m too selfish to let her go. I’ve never had anyone care for me the way she does.
Her scent envelops me as she runs to me, making goosebumps rise up my neck. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close, breathing her in.
“Are you okay? I saw her. She’s in a police car,” she tells me, then pulls back, searching all over for any signs of injury.
I place my hands on her cheeks, tilting her head until she’s looking at me. “I’m fine,” I whisper, kissing her softly. “But we have a problem.”
“I know! We figured it out. Well, I think we have. We were talking and one theory led to another and then bam,” she rambles, smacking her hands together. I try to keep up but I’m lost.
“Wow, calm down and explain… slower.”
“We were at the spa and I was worried. We got talking about everything and came up with a theory. We think she’s got a hidden agenda. She clearly wants money, and she must have known the police would eventually get involved, right?” I nod. “In that case, she must have something to bargain with, something to use to get you to comply. Because let’s face it, she’s not winning any Mum of the Year award, so it wouldn’t be like you’d do it out of love.”
She’s still rambling but I couldn’t be more in love with her than I am right now. They were able to come up with this in a day, something Evan and I have spent a week trying to figure out.
My woman is incredible.
“I know.”
“So it’s true?” she asks, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll find her,” I tell her, wiping them away.
“Find her?” she asks, her nose scrunching up adorably. “I swear I just saw her being put into the back of a police car.”
“Um, you did. Apparently, we have a sister.”
“A what? Come again,” she splutters, shaking her head as she pales. “Oh Lord, we have to find her.”
“What did you think I meant? I thought you figured it out.”
“No, I
thought she had tapes of… you know,” she says under her breath, and my face pales. She didn’t mention those tapes and if she did, I think she really would have been killed, brought back to life and then killed all over again by each brother.
“She didn’t mention them,” I whisper.
Mason, who’s hugging Denny next to me, must have been told the same thing because he turns to me sharply.
“I know we said we wouldn’t look, but I think it’s best that we do. We’re parents now. I can’t have that out there.” The pain in his voice causes my stomach to turn.
“I’ll sort something,” I promise, although I don’t know what I’ll do since I have no fucking clue where to start. Only someone sick would know how to get their hands on something as mundane and twisted as that.
“About that…,” Denny starts, shifting uncomfortable.
“What?” Mason asks, eyeing his wife warily.
“Well I… uh, I went to Evan for help. I just wanted to help you. I knew it was eating away at you even though you never said anything. I just wanted to make it go away for you. I’m so sorry,” she sobs.
Mason looks down at her with a soft expression. “Fuck, I love you so much,” he whispers, pulling her against him and kissing her. I look away, smiling, but Malik getting into it with Harlow across the room holds my attention.
Keeping Teagan by my side, I walk over, frowning when I see tears falling down Harlow’s face.
“I’m not leaving. We’re getting married,” she pleads with him.
“It’s not safe, Harlow, don’t you get that? She knows you’re pregnant and has already mentioned making a profit. I’m not risking it.”
“She’s just been arrested,” she cries, throwing her hands up.
“Please, Harlow. It won’t be forever, just until I know it’s safe,” he begs.
“Malik, think about this, bro,” I interrupt, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shoves it off, his eyes lost, dull.
“I have thought about it, Maverick. I’m not risking their fucking lives. If it were Teagan, would you want to keep her safe?”
I growl, pulling Teagan tighter against me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe but Harlow’s right; Maralynn’s just been arrested. There’s nothing she can do to us now.
“Malik, we need to stay together. We’re safer together. Not that I think she’ll do anything now, since she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. You’re getting married this weekend, and the twins will be born in a few weeks. Do you really want to miss that?”
He looks torn, staring at Harlow helplessly. “I can’t lose you.”
“You’re not going to lose me, Malik. I know you’d do anything to keep us safe. I’ve never doubted that, and you shouldn’t either.”
“We need to concentrate on finding out if we really have a sister and where she is,” I tell him. Malik is loyal to the bone; if anything can get him motivated, it’s family.
“A sister?” Harlow gasps, then winces, her hand going to her stomach.
“Are you okay?” Malik panics, moving to her side and guiding her over to my desk chair.
“Yeah, just a sharp kick,” she says, breathing heavily.
“Are you sure?” Teagan asks, kneeling on the other side of Malik. “You look a little pale.”
“Let’s get you home so you can rest,” Malik tells her, then looks to me. “Do you have your car?”
“Yeah, I’ll drive you two back. Let me just talk to Evan.”
He nods before turning back to Harlow. I look down at Teagan, getting her attention. “I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll drop these two off and go get Faith, okay?”
“Sounds good.” She smiles before turning to Harlow. “Do you need some water?”
A few officers remain, talking to Barrett and Evan. Myles and Max are on opposite sides of the room, Kayla and Lake in their arms, whispering to each other. Max looks angry, ready to kill someone, whereas Myles seems sad, withdrawn. It looks like Kayla is having a hard time reaching him.
I walk over, interrupting whatever Kayla was whispering to him. “Hey, how you doing?” I ask, knowing seeing our mum for the first time must have been hard on him.
“I don’t know. Mav, I know you, Malik and Mase didn’t believe her, but I think she was telling the truth about Lily,” he whispers, looking away.
Hearing her name causes my chest to tighten.
“Yeah, me too.” I sigh. “Evan is going to question her, see if he can get anything out of her.”
“What will happen if they find her? Will she be able to stay with us?” he asks, seeming worried.
“Yeah, kid. She will,” I promise and he nods, a little colour coming back to his cheeks. “I’m going to check on Max. We’re heading back soon, so if you want, you can go and meet us back at the house.”
He nods and I clap him on the back before walking over to Max, his face tight with frustration.
When I’m close enough for him to notice me, he turns, glaring. “I want to fucking kill her. We need to find that little girl. I don’t care if she’s not our sister, Mav. She’s a little fucking girl, and I know I only got a glimpse of the picture but still, she looked uncared for. She’s a fucking monster for doing this. The doctors should have neutered her. Fuck, Nan and Granddad should have aborted the bitch the second they found out they were pregnant,” he fumes. I can understand where he’s coming from, but he needs to rein it in. He’s scaring Lake, for one. She’s never seen him like this before, so it must be hard for her.
“Bro, we’re gonna find her, but I need you to calm it down. I know you’re hurting and I understand, but Myles needs you. You can be mad later. Go home together and we’ll meet you there,” I tell him.
He looks over at Myles, his eyes saddening when he sees how hurt his brother is. I’m just glad he’s calmed down a little, his fists now unclenched.
Lake smiles at me gratefully before taking Max’s hand. “We’ll see you back at home,” she tells me. “Max, let’s go to Myles. I’ll order you some food when we’re back.”
He looks down at her lovingly, his eyes softening. “Yeah, I am a bit hungry.”
I watch them leave before turning to Evan. He looks in my direction and meets me halfway, both of us talking in low voices.
“How did you know to come? I thought you were out working a case today?”
“I was meant to, but it got cancelled last minute. I was at the office so I logged into your security cameras and noticed it was being hacked. As I was calling Barrett, I had a message from Denny telling us to come here. I thought they were connected, so I raced over.”
“What are we going to do if she doesn’t talk?” I ask, changing the subject.
“She will. But even if she doesn’t, we have more to go on. Not only do we have her but we have her henchmen. One of them will talk, and we’ll be able to look into their backgrounds.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but we should get Harlow back. She’s throwing up in the bin,” Teagan says. Grimacing, I look over her shoulder to where Harlow and Malik are, finding her bent over the bin, throwing up.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I tell Evan, taking Teagan’s hand in mine.
“I’ll call you with any new information,” he tells me, walking back over to Bennett.
When we reach Harlow and Malik, she’s wiping her mouth, groaning. “I’ve been sick.”
“I can see that,” Malik tells her, holding her hair back.
“Me too. It’s making me feel sicker, Malik,” she whispers, closing her eyes.
I chuckle, grabbing my keys off my desk. “Let’s get you back home.”
“Can we get some food? I’m hungry,” she asks, her eyes wide and hopeful.
I burst out laughing, along with Teagan. Malik doesn’t know whether to laugh or be worried. Instead, he helps her up, telling her she can have whatever she wants.
This… this is what family is all about. We’ve just had our world turned upside down and yet, together, we’ve come out stronger, clos
er. And that’s why I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure they never have to go through anything like this ever again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TEAGAN
When I moved out of my flat, I thought that would be the biggest thing to happen to me this year. I wanted a fresh start, a new life with my daughter. Never once did I believe I’d end up in a relationship with the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on, and somehow move in with him. Love most certainly wasn’t in the cards for me either, but I’ve found it.
My life has changed drastically, and I don’t just mean from finding out that my psycho uncle’s ex-girlfriend is also my boyfriend’s mum.
Lynn coming into our lives could jeopardise all that I have, but I’ve been beaten, run out of my own home and threatened. If none of that has managed to destroy what Maverick and I have built together, then nothing will.
Even with all that going on, I can’t deny that I’m stupidly happy. I feel like I finally belong, that I have a place in the world, one where I’m accepted and surrounded by people who actually care for me. They’ve become my family, and I’d do anything for them.
Which is why I did something stupid the other day. I went to visit Lynn, hoping I could somehow get her to talk.
She claims they have a three-year-old sister, but no one has been able to locate the little girl or get her vile mother to talk. I’d like to say I don’t think she’d actually leave her unattended on her own, but this is Lynn we’re talking about. I wouldn’t put anything past her.
I tried to get her to talk, even offered her money―which she knew I never had. She laughed in my face the whole time, taunting and warning me that this wasn’t over.
I’d like to think I at least helped in some way by trying, yet ever since I walked out of the building, I’ve felt nothing but dread.
Not telling Maverick what I did has been eating away at me. But how do you tell the man you love that you’ve made the situation a whole lot worse?
In the four days since Lynn was arrested, the boys have slowly been going out of their minds with worry over their sister. The only thing keeping them from losing it is Malik and Harlow’s wedding. Harlow tried to cancel it, feeling this wasn’t the best time, but Maverick put a stop to it, telling her it’s still on and for her not to worry about anything except walking down the aisle.
Maverick (Carter Brothers Book 5) Page 26
